- Only 20 talents selected from across the country will build lunar satellites under Mission Shakti SET.
- ISRO to launch satellite from Sriharikota on October 11
This is a moment of immense pride and historic significance for Mahasamund district. Ragini Sahu, a student of Government Ashibai Golchha Girls Higher Secondary School, Mahasamund, has been selected as a national finalist for the international lunar mission, ShaktiSat. Ragini is the only student from Mahasamund, including the entire state of Chhattisgarh, to make it to this prestigious list.
Collector Mr. Vinay Kumar Langeh congratulated Ragini Sahu on this historic achievement and wished her a bright future. He attributed this success to the student’s talent, hard work, and the quality guidance provided by the school. He commended the continuous guidance, training, and inspirational efforts of G.R. Sinha, Principal of Government Ashibai Golchha Girls Higher Secondary School, and Chandrashekhar Mithlesh, Physics Lecturer and In-charge of the Atal Tinkering Lab. The Collector stated that this achievement in the district will serve as an inspiration for other students. On this occasion, District Education Officer B.L. Dewangan and District Mission Coordinator Rekharaj Sharma also congratulated Ragini Sahu and wished her a bright future.
Only 20 national finalists, including select students from each state in India, were selected for this global mission. Ragini secured her spot by passing a rigorous national assessment and interview. Ragini Sahu registered for the mission through her school’s Atal Tinkering Lab in 2025. During the selection process, she successfully completed 21 comprehensive modules and over 550 space, satellite, science, innovation, and engineering-related lessons in a nearly 120-hour online training series. She subsequently achieved this distinction by excelling in the technical assessment and national-level interview.
Mission Shakti is an international lunar satellite mission, in which students from 108 countries, including India, Africa, Australia, Germany, and France, are participating. Under this historic mission, students will develop two lunar satellites. One satellite will orbit the Moon, while the other will be a rover that will land on the lunar surface and conduct scientific experiments.
Ragini Sahu will participate in an eight-day national workshop on space science at Gautam Buddha University, Greater Noida (Uttar Pradesh) from August 22nd to August 31st, 2026. The workshop will be formally inaugurated on August 23rd, coinciding with National Space Day. During the workshop, Ragini will have the opportunity to interact and receive direct guidance from ISRO and IIT Roorkee scientists, Indian astronaut Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, and space experts from various countries. These satellites developed by the students will be launched by ISRO from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, on October 11th, 2026 (International Day of the Girl Child).
The mission is affiliated with the Atal Innovation Mission, NITI Aayog. This global initiative is led by Dr. Srimati Kesan, Founder and CEO of Space Kids India. Wing Commander Jaya Tare (Retd.) is India’s National Ambassador for the mission.
